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Veteran Communist leader Pandian passes away at 88: Condolences pour in!

By alagu, 26 February, 2021
Pandian, Communist, Tamilnadu

Veteran leader of Communist Party of India (CPI) D Pandian has passed away in Chennai at the age of 88 on Friday due to chronic kidney disease. Shocked to learn the development, several political leaders from across and beyond the borders have been paying tribute to the deceased leader and expressing condolences to his family members. 

Pandian was battling his age-related ailments and on Wednesday, he was rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital after he complained of discomforts. He was getting treated under the observation of a team of doctors and on Thursday, his health had attained a major setback after which he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit and placed under life support. 

He was receiving treatment on the ventilator on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Secretary of CPI, Mutharasan had issued a statement concerning the health condition of Pandian in which he that Pandian has been getting treated at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Chennai in a critical state. According to reports, several leaders had expressed their wishes for Pandian to get a speedy recovery. However, in the night hours of Thursday, his health had deteriorated further and he was put under maximum life support. 

Despite the treatment, he had breathed his last in the morning hours of Friday and was declared dead at the age of 88. He was earlier suffering from the COVID-19 viral infection and he has been receiving Dialysis for a decade to treat chronic kidney disease. It must be noted that Pandian had a history of hospitalization three years ago as in 2018, he was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Hospital after he complained of breathing difficulty. 

Pandian had served as the state secretary of the CPI for nearly six years till 2015 and he was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989 from the North Chennai constituency and again he got re-elected in the 1991 Lok Sabha polls. Pandian was one of the notable faces of the Indian Communist party and in 2009, he was elected as the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India and he served in the post for six years till 2015 after which he was succeeded by incumbent R Mutharasan. 

In a political career spanning for over six decades, Pandian has etched a remarkable political journey, and apart from being an active politician, he had also been an author and advocate of Communist principles. He played a vital role in the rise of CPI in Tamil Nadu amid the stronghold of the Dravidian parties. Throughout his political career, he had observed gentle ties with the leaders on the other side of the party line.

When the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi came to Tamil Nadu in 1991 for the election campaign in Sriperumbudur, it was Pandian who had been tasked to translate the Prime Minister's speech. However, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at this event while Pandian had also suffered injuries in the attack. At that time, Pandian was elected to the Parliament in the Congress alliance. Pandian had founded the United Communist Party of India (UCPI) along with Mohit Sen. 

UCPI had observed ties with the Congress and contested in the Lok Sabha polls. He left CPI and founded UPCI, however, Pandian rejoined the CPI in 2000 and he later took charge as editor of Janasakhi, a Tamil newspaper run by the CPI. According to reports, Pandian had joined the Communist Party of India while he was a college student in 1953, and being an author, he had written books on history. 

Pandian was born on 25th September 1932 in Usilampatti, Tamil Nadu and he was a lecturer in English in Alagappa College in Karaikudi before becoming a full-time member of the Communist Party of India. He was the first general secretary of the 'Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram' (Tamil Nadu Art and Literary Federation) launched by Communist patriarch P Jeevanandam.

He became active in politics in 1953 when he became a full-time member of CPI and nearly after six decades, he was staying off from active politics owing to age-related ailments and chronic kidney disease, and on Wednesday, his health was worsened after which he was Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Chennai and on Friday, he breathed his last. After knowing his demise, several political leaders and celebrities are paying their tribute to the deceased leader. The party leaders said that Pandian will be cremated on Saturday in his hometown.


 

 

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